I am a young mom and grew up in Vancouver. Growing up it was an awesome place but it's becoming more and more run down and has turned into suburban hell. Anyway, I love Portland. But some areas the crime is just horrendous. Just have to look for the right neighborhoods. I love Portland so much.

I grew up in the coastal range, then Corvallis and now live in Portland.

I think Corvallis and Bend would be great cities to live in that have a lot to offer but aren't too big. Bend in particular rates very high in quality of life and other factors... at least my sister sings its praise and shows me articles about how great their economy is. I would avoid Salem and Tillamook.

Vancouver does have parts that are very ghetto and run-down, and it has nice parts too. Like others have said, there are great tax advantages there but man that commute over the river is a beast! As long as you wouldn't be going anywhere during rush hour you'd be fine.

As far as other parts of the Portland metro area, it depends on how far out you want to be. Wilsonville and McMinville are a little out there but still pretty nice. Lake Oswego is probably the most expensive place to live. I've only lived on the West side and I love it.

I've lived in OR my whole life (southern part) and everywhere I've been there's a crunchy community somewhere
Personally i don't like Portland much, too big city for me. But it has a lot to offer. I love Tigard, which is near by. Its a bit more expensive but has a great Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and it's just gorgeous. Barely any snow either

We love Bend and Sisters/Redmond. A very nice crunchy vibe from all of those places. In sisters think cowboy meets upscale crunchy. Sisters has excellent schools with a wonderful small town vibe. Everyone is very friendly. My inlaws retired there.

We live in the Monmouth/Independence area and it's just okay. Salem is okay. My husband commutes. I work from home. We love the small town feel. We wish people were friendlier and crunchier! The public schools need work also... they seem crammed.

Keizer seems nicer. I hear Tigard and Beaverton areas are nice near Portland.

For Portland Metro, I like the West side- Beaverton, Tigard, etc. It's a close drive to the beach too!

If you are willing to come farther East and want small town living, the Columbia River Gorge is beautiful. Hood River would be a great vacation spot and has all of the things you described except it is more expensive to live in compared to surrounding areas.

We're in Medford. It's absolutely nothing like Portland but we still love it. We were originally planning on moving to the Portland area (actually WA so there was no income tax ) but ended up in the southern part of the state. I am much happier, but I don't care for tons of traffic or big city life.

The thing with the Oregon coast is that the towns there tend to be poor and rather conservative. Beautiful though. Isolated.

I recommend Ashland. The Rogue Valley is so incredibly beautiful, the weather is perfect (not as much rain as Portland), and the town itself is amazing. Lots of folks homeschool and the people I know who grew up there loved, loved, loved it. The one down side of the Rogue Valley is that there is a serious lack of jobs, but that is not something that will affect you guys.

You at least need to visit Ashland. I actually stopped there for a couple of days once and didn't leave for five years

The thing with the Oregon coast is that the towns there tend to be poor and rather conservative. Beautiful though. Isolated.

I recommend Ashland. The Rogue Valley is so incredibly beautiful, the weather is perfect (not as much rain as Portland), and the town itself is amazing. Lots of folks homeschool and the people I know who grew up there loved, loved, loved it. The one down side of the Rogue Valley is that there is a serious lack of jobs, but that is not something that will affect you guys.

You at least need to visit Ashland. I actually stopped there for a couple of days once and didn't leave for five years

If I could afford Ashland, we'd be there I have to settle for 10 miles away though

I lived in both Portland, Beaverton, Vancouver and now Eugene. I love them all! Another great small town close to Portland and all the fun things you want to do outdoors is Sherwood. It is West of Portland on your way to the coast and McMinnville, which is also a nice small town close to things to do.

I like Eugene too. I was born and raised here, moved to Texas and came back 6 years ago. It is a beautiful, funky and fun town. Not as much crime as Portland area. Less traffic. Tons of schools to choose from including homeschooling groups as well as Montessori and Waldorf schools. Close to the beach and the mountains only a 45 min drive to either. Tons of hiking, biking trails and in general a very earth friendly place